Dead Memories
by Sasukeluva 4eva
Summary: They fought. They reminisced. They rose triumphant. They learnt the truth. They shed tears. They mourned for their loss, but most of all, they learned to hate that much more. A slightly different ending. Sasuke x Itachi Fanfic.


**a/n: Here is another one of my newest fics... I hope that it can be slightly enjoyable.**

**Disclaimer: IDNON, BIDHTOS! That is all.**

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**Rating: T**

**Creator/ Author: Yours truly!**

**Categories: Action, Hurt/Comfort**

**NOTE: Written on the basis of a song called '**_**Dead Memories'**_** by **Slipknot**.**

**a/n-2: Slight spoilers taken from chapters 384 to 402.**

**Summary: They fought. They reminisced. They rose triumphant. They learnt the truth. They shed tears. They mourned for their loss, but most of all, they learned to hate that much more. A slightly **_**different**_** ending. Sasuke x Itachi Fanfic.**

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Sasukeluva 4eva presents;

_**Dead Memories**_

Sasuke x Itachi Oneshot

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'_Clang, clang, clang!'_

The echoing of steel against steel clashing for dominance reverberated off the damp, moss-covered stone of the surrounding cavern, the large space beginning to seem tight, cramped; a claustrophobic room that was barely holding out against the harsh battle that had escalated into a full-scale war within the past few blows, sweat dripping and weapons flying in all directions—the stale smell of dead carcasses and old and fresh blood alike wafted to the cool air outside of the sacred Uchiha meeting place, being carried with the drifting wind for miles.

Sasuke let out a grunt of pain as yet another shuriken embedded itself in his upper-right bicep, crimson liquid freely flowing as he all but tore it out, trowing the contraption with expert precision toward his much despised older sibling, said brother dodging the metal weapon with ease; a smug, superior smirk made its way to Itachi's face, the urge to smack it off prominently evident on Sasuke's enraged face.

"Foolish little brother... is _this_ the extent of everything that you have achieved over the last three years? The only thing about you that has different is your height; nothing of any greater significance has shown from what you have displayed thus far—I am thoroughly disappointed, ototo. Ashamed that we are of the same family, blood; I'm sure our ancestors and relatives would be appalled by the lack of—"

"_Shut up_! I am _nothing_ like you! I have achieved this power by another means, _not by your standards_!" Sasuke hollered angrily, a vein protruding from his forehead as he charged forward, katana raised with a deadly silver tint, the blue chakra of his chidori nagashi charging statically, the constant chirping of birds and the buzzing of electricity carried through the closed-off space; the glands in his neck were swollen, tight from strain, the bloodlust in his eyes swirling dangerously until they bled scarlet, the obsidian orbs transformed.

The black of three continuously spinning tomoes were stark in contrast to the crimson of his stare, the sharingan now activated, yet not quite complete, fully awoken; Itachi allowed himself a moment to be surprised, but feigned ignorance and indifference to the sight before him.

Apparently his little brother was further along than he had originally assumed; with a little prod in the right direction (from Itachi of course), Sasuke could very well awaken his full potential—with a small, barely-there smile, Itachi stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the rage-fuelled attack Sasuke had so blindly made, his sword piercing the solid stone throne at the other side of the room, cutting straight through it and embedding itself there, virtually impossible for any normal human to remove; though it was already perfectly clear that Sasuke was by far a 'normal' individual.

Gripping the katana's hilt firmly, the young Uchiha yanked it out of the tough granite bindings, bits of dust and debris falling from the crack that had formed, a long parallel slit amongst the large seat affront him; he spun on his heel just in time to block the blow that was aimed for his head, sparks flying from the sheer force of the two blades collision. Itachi let out a surprised grunt, the strength that was being poured into the blade opposing him more than what he initially expected, but easily beaten; summoning a fistful of blaring chakra, Itachi then forced his full weight onto his left leg, bringing the two katanas' closer to his face, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as he suddenly snapped backwards, ultimately throwing Sasuke's weight forward.

Said man's eyes bulged in shock, the sudden movement jolting many conflicting emotions in the Uchiha; he had been unprepared for Itachi's surprise tactic, let his guard down due to his rage of pure fury, and the result of that mistake would surely not be a good one.

The triumph was ablaze in Itachi's eyes, the superior gloating bubbling to the surface as he did a spin kick, colliding with the back of Sasuke's soft raven, spiked-up locks, sending him flying toward the stone wall at the far end of the cavern; Sasuke collided with the solid barricade, waves of agonising pain ripping its way up his spine, sharp vertical cracks forming from Sasuke's painful indentation.

Rock and debris fell hastily to the ground, mixing with the cold, damp concrete of the flooring, sinking into the small crevices and slits until they were no longer in sight, visible. "You say that you chose a different path to me, but we both know that that is a lie; I know that you attempted to kill Naruto, and in the end, you couldn't. That in itself implies that you were too weak to fight me, defeat me; then you went crawling to that snake-bastard Orochimaru for power—if that isn't displaying your lack of obvious talent, then I don't know what does." Itachi sneered haughtily, the obvious choice of words meaning to provoke the younger of the two siblings; and that it did.

"Don't you _dare_ judge me, my methods of gaining power _or_ my decisions; underestimating and undermining my strength will cost you dearly, _brother_!" Sasuke hissed angrily, blood boiling with fast-accumulating anger, venom dripping from his voice as he all but spat 'brother', in such a way as to clearly state that that title in itself was a loose attachment, that it meant next to nothing to Sasuke, and that he would gladly slaughter him without second thought; rain pounded relentlessly on the outside, the echoes of water splatters carried into the secret Uchiha meeting place, the scent of fresh earth and clean water wafting in with a chilly draft of steadily-flowing breeze, cooling Sasuke's brimming anger until it was a scorching simmer; Itachi took a moment to briefly close his onyx orbs, inhaling the pleasant fragrance of what he believed to be the most tranquil scent he could ever conjure up, letting his head tilt upwards, almost as if he was standing beneath it, the droplets caressing his skin and soaking him to the bone, his expression almost... serene? At peace, perhaps?

His eyes snapped open a swirling crimson, in time for him to evade an unsuspected attack from his brother, flipping backwards on his hands once, twice, thrice, before skidding along the ground on all fours, his sandals creating enough friction to bring him to an abrupt halt; reaching into his supply pack underneath the black billowy cloak with red clouds adorning it (indicating his alliance with the Akatsuki), Itachi pulled out a single kunai, as his katana had been... _misplaced_ in their earlier encounter. Sasuke assessed the situation calculatingly, waiting for any unexpected changes in his much despised brother's behaviour; there was none—then Sasuke saw it.

A faint glimmer, but it was enough; relaxing his tense muscles, Sasuke allowed himself to be completely engulfed, absorbed by white. Symbolising... peace of mind? He did not know, but what he _did_ know was that Itachi had definitely _not_ won this battle; not by a long shot—the sound of whistling metal ripped through the eerily silent cave, breaking Sasuke's concentration only a little; with lightning fast precision, said man's right hand went flying into his pouch, pulling out another kunai to deflect that of his older siblings', both weapons left embedded in the rock surrounding. Itachi had to admit that Sasuke had indeed improved a great deal over the past few years; he hadn't even _seen_ Sasuke flick his wrist as he sent the steel contraption to meet head-on with his own, which said a lot in terms of how little Itachi had made of him, a mistake ill-affordable in situations such as the one at hand; letting out an inaudible sigh, Itachi straightened up, leaving his hiding place—Sasuke didn't even look up to know whom was approaching, or why he of all people had been anywhere but the immediate setting.

He had already known.

A smug smirk crossed the plains of Sasuke's face, remaining even as he raised his gaze to meet the traitorous bastard affront him; Itachi allowed himself a moment to twitch internally, no emotion on his dead, soulless face as he watched his brother self-indulge in his own glory—boy would Itachi enjoy watching him squirm.

"Now's not the time to get cocky, Sasuke." Itachi reprimanded bluntly, plainly bored; Sasuke twitched in silent rage, but immediately stopped himself—the climax of the battle was soon to be upon them, and after he killed Itachi he would celebrate in his own way.

"Let's finish this." Sasuke stated impatiently, adrenaline rushing through his entire system, a rush that he could never have imagined ebbing its way to the surface; Itachi just grunted in reply, and with that they resumed where they had left off, charging at each other faster than the speed of lightning, metallic sparks sent flying through the humidity thickened air, explosions shaking the earth for many miles, the static charge of Sasuke's chidori nagashi painting the outside sky a tinge of eerie blue, thick black clouds lining the sky as more rain came pouring down, drenching the brothers' to the bone, the rumbling of thunder and the crackling of lightning echoing throughout the outside terrain, bouncing off of the hollow surroundings and amplifying the noise until it drowned out all other sound, the cries of pain never leaving the secluded clearing.

Panting heavily, Sasuke dropped to his knees, black vest completely abolished, the bandages that had been previously wrapped around his whole upper torso prior to this fight torn away at some unknown time; Sasuke had had no time to keep track of such mediocre things in the first instance—this battle was all that mattered, and that was where Sasuke's loyalty and focus remained.

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_x-X-x-Time Skip-x-X-x_

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"Your eyes... they are my new light... they... _they will be mine_!"Itachi hollered psychotically, eyes bulging in an insane manner, as he slowly edged forward toward the trapped younger Uchiha, his hand raised to be at corneal-level with the unclaimed prize; Sasuke's eyes.

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_x-X-x-Time Skip-x-X-x_

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"This is where you end, Itachi; say your prayers, as there is no God to save you from _hell_!" Sasuke screamed in a peak of rage, his raised arm held up to the air as a massive fluctuation in the blackened sky formed, the heated moisture packed so tightly together that it for whatever time it would last had transformed into a temporary but powerful and deadly magnet, the accumulating lightning centring in on the hot-spot.

"Begone with the thunderclap..." The thunder cracked dangerously, the gathered lightning sparking into a static frenzy, thickening into a large silver-blue cluster; Itachi's singular working eye bulged at the jutsu about to come, knowing that he only had _one_ chance, _one_ moment in which to deflect that explosive lightning-control.

Otherwise... otherwise he would perish along with it. But it was already _far too late_. "KIRIN!" Sasuke roared, the accumulated lightning completely condensed and concentrated as it came crashing down toward Itachi, in the form of a dragon, its mouth open in a silent cry as it collided with the target, no time for anyone to react; it was all over in the blink of an eye.

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_x-X-x-Time Skip-x-X-x_

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"Is this the death... you imagined for me...?"

Sasuke's blood ran thin, ice frosting it over as he all but gagged on his cries of victory and triumph; Itachi staggered upwards as he regained his footing, blood smeared down his face, a path starting at the very crevices of his eyes to the end of his jaw line, more blood, dirt, sweat and grime caked to his skin, hair, what remained of his clothing; every inch of him was covered with deep lacerations, bruises, gashes, and hell did he ache.

The throbbing pain ricocheted throughout Itachi's entire system, causing more blood to leave him, some in tiny rivulets, others all but gushing from him; if Sasuke didn't kill him first then the blood loss _would_, and that was a luxury that he could ill-afford at the moment.

He _had_ to die like this, by Sasuke's hands, otherwise—

"_God fucking __**dammit**__, __**why**__ won't you fucking __**die**_?!" Sasuke yelled in a psychotic rage, his blood boiling over the limit.

"I would have died..." Itachi started, still looking at the ground, "If I hadn't had this." Sasuke's eyes bulged in profound shock, utter confusion burning in his onyx orbs.

_'What the fuck—?'_

"This... is _'Susano'o'_... my trump-card..." And with that Itachi raised his head, eyes fixing with Sasuke's; all said man could do was gape. Itachi's eyes were blank, soulless like the true monster he was—he seemed to almost 'see through' Sasuke... which made little sense, seeing as Itachi himself could no longer see _anything_, _at all_—after all... he was blind.

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_x-X-x-Time Skip-x-X-x_

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"Y...our... eyes a...re... mi...ne... my... l...ight... _mi_..._ne_... _Sasuke_..." Sasuke was pressed up against a concrete wall, no means of escape evident—this was it.

He had given up everything he had ever come to love for a second time just for a chance at destroying the man responsible for the slaughter of their clan, their _family_; now here he was, backed into a corner, stuck at a dead end, no fork in the road to choose form this time around. No, this was it; Sasuke would die, all hopes in achieving his goal shattered, broken, whilst _this_ man remained in relatively bad-but-recoverable condition on this Earth... with _his_ eyes.

No, that was unacceptable; it could not happen, no way in hell. But before Sasuke could even lift a finger, Itachi was affront him, hair falling loose from its traditional ponytail as he brought his index and middle fingers together, outstretching them toward the younger Uchiha sibling, Itachi murmuring incoherent slurrings to himself along the way. Sasuke's terror consumed him, just as Itachi's hand hovered at level with his eyes.

_'Poke!'_

Sasuke just... froze. _'Wha—?'_

Itachi's fingers, instead of gouging out his eyeballs from their sockets, were pressed gently to Sasuke's forehead, taking him back to when he was a child, when Itachi had been... _Itachi_.

And with that, his fingers slid down Sasuke's forehead, smearing his own warm wet blood down his ototo's face, Itachi falling toward the concrete wall, head smashing against the hard stone; that was it—Itachi had finally allowed himself to be consumed by the eternal darkness that had constantly plagued him.

As said man collapsed in a heap on the ground, Sasuke realised with profound clarity as to what had just happened unfolded before his eyes, that were still very much intact; he had finally achieved his lifelong goal.

Itachi Uchiha was dead. By his hand. As the lightning struck the freezing, rain drenched sky, said droplets pounding harshly on the surrounding terrain, Sasuke couldn't help but let out a triumphant, subliminal smirk, the silver-white flashes of deadly electricity lighting his darkened face as he too met the darkness, landing on the ground alongside his dead sibling, hands barely touching as everything went dark.

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_x-X-x-Time Skip-x-X-x_

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"You're lying! Itachi was evil, he was—"

"You're alive, aren't you?!" Madara Uchiha hollered angrily, glaring at Sasuke with the single eye that he had visible behind his orange mask; he was growing impatient with the fledgling Uchiha's obstinate, tenacious attitude. Sheesh, seriously...

Sasuke's eyes widened as he stared down at his chest, ropes tied around him to prevent him from moving; bandages covered his upper torso, the obvious sign of hastily-done medical treatment ever-present. None of that mattered anymore, not to Sasuke.

_'What have I—?'_

"That is Itachi's truth; he killed his mother, his father, his lover, his friends, his entire family, yet he couldn't bring himself to kill you. Do you understand?" Madara said monotonously as he approached Sasuke's tied-up figure, kneeling down in front of him with a kunai in hand, cutting the thick ropes with sharp precision and ease; Sasuke remained quiet, first looking Madara in the face, before averting his gaze to instead the cold ground, focusing on nothing in particular.

_'No... It...__**can't**__... be...'_

"To him, your life... was more precious than even the village."

As the realisation dawned on him, so did the unrelenting emotions that were thrown up in all this chaos; Itachi had always been the innocent, and Sasuke... he...

The silent screams echoed through valleys and the like, the merciless agony consuming Sasuke in its infinite darkness for all eternity—nothing would ever be the same again.

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_x-X-x-Time Skip-x-X-x_

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Sasuke stood alone on the peak of a cliff-face, the surrounding tidal waves of the beach he had just moments ago walked along colliding with the rock, sending droplets of water around said man, some making direct contact with his skin; Sasuke had delved deep into his memories, his scarred heart, just to remember Itachi's true nature, and only now did he regret it—all he could see was those warm, affectionate smiles, only for him, those unfulfilled promises, everything; that, and what had _really_ happened just before Itachi had died.

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_Flashback_

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__Itachi's lips were murmuring incoherent slurrings, things that Sasuke could not decipher; as his hand got closer and closer to Sasuke's face, said man was determined not to let his fear shine through. But it grew increasingly difficult, as suddenly Itachi's hand closed the distance, only to...?! _

_'Poke!' _

_His fingers were pressed lovingly, affectionately to Sasuke's forehead, the traditional symbol of Itachi's undying love, his yet to be fulfilled promises; Itachi's lips moved once again, as if to say something, only to pull up at the corners and reveal that same kind smile from all those years ago, lighting up his bloodied, exhausted face till he seemed almost... normal, uninjured and unaffected by their battle._

_Once again, Itachi's lips moved, the smile still in place, this time words spilling forth, five words plain and simple, but more powerful than any physical blow dealt to Sasuke, that same warm tone that Itachi had always used for him and him alone, ringing in the shell of said man's ears.  
_

_"Sorry Sasuke... this is it..." _

_And with that, Itachi faded from Sasuke's vision, far out of his reach, that same smile remaining, being the last thing Sasuke saw, the final gift Itachi had ever given to him—the gift of his kind aniki, forever engraved upon Sasuke's heart..._

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_End of Flashback_

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_

The tears came faster than Sasuke could prevent them, burning rivers down his flushed cheeks, like acid tearing through flesh, as he scrunched up his brow, furrowing it as if to stop himself from wailing out loud; it was the only self-control he could maintain anymore.

'Itachi... Itachi... ITACHI!'

Sasuke's form was racked with sobs, begging to be released, but he would not allow it, not in the company of others; Team Hebi stood at a distance, expressions pitiful and sombre as they watched their leader fight a battle already lost, Madara sitting idly on a large boulder as he stared at the sobbing Uchiha.

Madara's thoughts echoed loudly in his mind, the footprints that had once been Sasuke's washed away from the sandy beach, representing the one thing Sasuke could never abandon; no matter what would happen, the grief and sorrow Sasuke felt could not be as simply washed away as those of his foot indentations, these past events forever imprinted upon his heart, just like those of his former footfalls, lost to the ocean's fury.

No... this scar would live with Sasuke forever, his last words tearing said man limb from limb, ripping him to shreds, Madara's cold words echoing soundlessly in the sun-setting air.

_'He left the name of Uchiha to you... and deceived you to the very end... smiling even as he drew his last breath... enduring his suffering... all for __**you**__...'_

The volatile waves came crashing down, drowning out Sasuke's wails of anguish.

"ITACHI!"

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_~Owarimashita~_

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**a/n: End of 'Dead Memories.' *sniff, cries* T-T  
Please review!**

**Ja! x) **

***-Sasukeluva 4eva-***


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